Nephalem
Nephalem are humanity's forebears. The offspring of angel and demon, their existence would forever alter the balance of power in the Great Conflict. History Origins :"You... all humans... are the spawn of my coupling! From demon and angel came the nephalem, greater than anything ever created in the cosmos! The force I stirred within you, the force which I found begging to be released, is nothing less than your ''birthright!"'' —Lilith to Uldyssian Sanctuary was created by the rogue angel Inarius and his demon confidante, Lilith. They led a group of renegade demons and angels where they created a new world through the Worldstone, one where they would be free from the Great Conflict. In an act without precedent, Inarius and Lilith mated and created offspring. In time, other renegade demons and angels did likewise and produced offspring of their own. Thus, the nephalem were born—the children of both angels and demons, yet a new entity in their own right. The first generation of nephalem were called the Ancients. It is believed that they set out exploring, seeking answers, attempting to understand the world in which they lived. Millennia after their birth, Deckard Cain speculated that thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of these Ancients existed, though by the time of his life, only the names of Bul-Kathos, Vasily, Esu, and Rathma were remembered, and treated more like deities. It is known that these Ancients developed along different lines from each other, including the cultures they fostered.2013-12-08, BlizzCon 2013 – Diablo III Lore and Story Q&A Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-03-29 Tyrael would later believe that some early nephalem were born more demon than angel, resulting in Phantasms that would haunt Sanctuary far into the future.Diablo III, Enraged Phantasm Lore The Temple of the Firstborn was constructed in honor of these early nephalem.2016-11-04, Necromancer Blizzcon Diablo 3 Fact Sheet. Diablo.net, accessed on 2016-11-07 Yet not all was well among the nephalem's parents, for they were far more powerful than either angel or demon. Their forebears feared that not only might the nephalem become a threat, but might draw the attention of the High Heavens and the Burning Hells to Sanctuary. They knew that the co-mingling of their kind would be declared blasphemous, and that they would be destroyed if their refuge were discovered. Thus, some of the renegades called for the nephalem to be eradicated, while others believed they should be spared. The dissension troubled Inarius, who called for a period of reflection, so that each of his subjects could consider the matter in solitude.Book of Cain The Rise of Man :"The day of the nephalem is, as they say, long over. One by one, I and my kind will cease to be. There are fewer now than during the battle even. The future is what is important." - Rathma Lilith was driven into a mad frenzy by the threat of her children's extinction. Morphing into a horrific beast, she hunted down and murdered her fellow renegades, lest they do the same to the nephalem. Enraged at her actions, Inarius could not bring himself to kill his beloved and thus banished her to the Void. Subsequently, the angel attuned the Worldstone in such a manner to cause the powers of the nephalem to diminish over time. Thus, the nephalem became weaker over each subsequent generation, their lifespans declining.2017-06-23, Deadly Roots: The Lore of the Necromancer. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-06-30 Some of the nephalem knew what had happened, others didn't, and thought they were succumbing to some kind of plague. As they weakened, the civilizations the nephalem had established began to splinter, and they fell into a dark age. Eventually, the nephalem became mortals, giving rise to the race called humanity, a weaker, mortal species, without knowledge of its birthright. It was still possible for nephalem and humans to produce offspring together. Yet the potential to reclaim its old glory still rested in humanity. It was this potential power that drew the attention of the Prime Evils to humanity, beginning what would become known as the Sin War. In the last stages of the conflict, the Worldstone was altered by Uldyssian, who began to manifest powers befitting a nephalem, as did his Edyrem followers. However, as the last battle raged, he realized that the power being regained was too much over too short a time, and in an act of self-sacrifice, he brought back his raging energies into himself before releasing them one final time, resetting the Worldstone and stripping his followers of their powers. It was an act that ended the Sin War and convinced the Angiris Council to leave humanity to its own devices, seeing that they could follow the path of light as well as dark. It was believed by some that by the third century, there were no nephalem left in the world, though this turned out to be false. Return of the Nephalem . In 1265, the Worldstone was destroyed by Tyrael, lest humanity be turned to Chaos through Baal's corruption of the relic. Thus, the mortal realm was left exposed to both Heaven and Hell.Moon of the Spider However, within a generation, a new nephalem walked in the world, their powers rivaling that of their distant ancestors.Diablo III, Act I Ultimately, these nephalem defeated Diablo himself, bringing an end to the Great Conflict and saving both Heaven and the mortal realm from destruction.Diablo III, Act IV Soon afterwards, Sanctuary was saved by the Nephalem again, after defeating Malthael and his Reapers.Diablo III, Act V By the time of the rise of the Blood Cult, a number of nephalem had arisen within Sanctuary. Few in number, but great in strength. The demon Vidian used the cult and his own machinations to lure these nephalem into the Temple of the Firstborn, where their blood was spilt and drained.Diablo III, Cultist Missive Vidian was eventually defeated by the same nephalem that had defeated Diablo and Malthael.Diablo III, Adventure Mode Known Nephalem Pre-Sin War *Alaric *Bul-Kathos *Edric *Esu *Ezek the Prophet *Vasily *Helgrotha *Kalmor *Karel *Larel *Madawc the Guardian *Murkolt *Orek *Moek *Philios *Korlic the Protector *Rathma *Talic the Defender *Urshi Sin War (Edyrem) *Kalan *Uldyssian Current Generation *"The Nephalem" * Possible identities (race otherwise confirmed) **Johanna - Crusader **Li-Ming - Wizard **Kharazim - Monk **Nazeebo - Witch Doctor **Sonya - Barbarian **"The Chosen" - Necromancer **Valla - Demon Hunter Manifestations The following individuals have had nephalem powers manifest, but aren't necessarily nephalem themselves: *Jacob Staalek *Shanar *Zayl Many Crusaders have also shown signs of their nephalem heritage.2014-03-10, CRUSADER LORE AND HISTORY Q&A. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-06-30 In-game In Diablo III, each player character is a nephalem, and referred to as such when described in a narrative sense. It has been stated that because of the requirements of the narrative, no angel class will be available in the game.2013-01-02, Archangel and Deathangel classes for diablo 3. IncGamers, accessed on 2013-02-07 Kalmor can be encountered in , being the last living nephalem of the pre-Sin War period. However, interestingly, he will not recognize the Nephalem as one of his kind. Trivia *The nephalem are possibly based on the Old Testament Nephilim, though Biblical Nephilim are the product of angels and humans. *Though first-generation nephalem were apparently a great deal larger than humans, this has not been reflected in-game as their ghosts are the same size as normal humans. So too are the nephalem to have arisen since then. References Category:Races